Rural elementary school teachers' intent to manage children with asthma symptoms.

A study of 212 rural elementary school teachers sought to determine the relationships among the variables of their general knowledge about asthma, attitude toward asthma, self-efficacy in helping children with asthma manage their asthma, and social support for initial management of children's asthma with the teachers' intent to manage children who present with signs and symptoms of asthma in the classroom. The situational variables of number of years teaching experience, number of children with asthma that teachers have had in their classroom during their teaching profession, and whether or not the teacher had asthma or knew of someone with asthma also were explored in relation to intent to manage asthma. Results indicate that although teachers had a favorable attitude toward asthma and were tolerant of students with asthma, their knowledge about asthma was low. Because asthma can be life-threatening, it is essential to assist those involved in monitoring and managing children with asthma to provide timely, appropriate care. In this way, the goal of having a child with asthma live as normal a life as possible, including all school activities, can be realized.